I'm a filmmaker. So one of the first things I had to discover when I moved to Manila was where to…read moreprint some DVD labels and also do DVD authoring. Firstly I tried all the print shops in Salcedo Village area. None of them could print a simple DVD label. I was ready to give up when one day, while strolling down V.A.Rufino Street, I saw this tiny store with some computers. I came inside and asked the guy - Erwin Salak, he's the man! - if they could do this kind of service. Surprisingly he said yes! I gave him the DVDs and he printed the labels right away. The quality was very good and the price was very fair. Actually they can do all the authoring thing if you need - and also video editing, motion graphics and graphic design. They also work with events planning, so you can take a look at their photography and videography portfolio. Oh, and they take pictures for IDs. I highly recommend Erwin, the guy who saved me with my DVD label!

Created by a bunch of talented and enterprising young photographers and visual & multimedia…read moreartists, Shutter Panda is that go-to wedding & events photography company you want at your side when you're looking for youthful and vibrant coverage of some of your most important life memories as they happen. This laidback yet professional team puts personality in their commissioned works and services done for you, so it's not that run of the mill, plain coverage of just whatever. They're into telling stories and they can capture the art in the routine, regular things that happen in your events. In the end, they produce gorgeous, fun, functional, yet dramatic-and-sentimental-when-need-be works that you'll just be happy to have with you after everything.

I first encountered Shutterpanda Photography when my org Kythe-Ateneo got it to be one of the…read morepartners for our event I Am Hope 2015, where we brought kids with chronic illnesses out of their hospitals for an afternoon of fun and play. The results were absolutely beautiful, with candid shots of kids and their buddies overflowing in the album. I dabble into some photography myself, and I noticed the photographer for that day had preferred lower F-stop settings that blurred the background, making every photo seem more personal. Every photo ended up being so colorful and full of life, and I don't think there was a single photo on their album that didn't have a smile on it. Granted, it wasn't exactly a common event like a debut, wedding reception, or party, but I really think that Shutterpanda did a great job of documenting our event and showcasing what our advocacy was through their photos.

Planning a wedding is very difficult. One of the many challenges is finding and comparing several…read moresuppliers from caterers to cake artists to event stylists to photographers and videographers to designers to make-up artists to printing presses to event planners. Good thing, there are wedding expos all year round. One of the bigger expos are the ones organized by Weddings & Beyond which holds several expos every year. In fact, there were way too many suppliers that I wasn't able to talk to each one in depth. Still, that's okay. It was a two-day event. Sadly, we were available only for the first day so we focused on the aspects that we give much importance to. Suppliers aside, I have to commend the big, well-maintained washrooms. It may seem like a petty concern, but, let's face it, if you have to stay in a place for one whole day and share the washroom with several others, there is reason to worry. Finally, I really advice couples to attend expos like this. They have raffles and give lots of freebies. Who knows, you may be the next winner of a honey moon trip or significant freebies from top suppliers.

Lunar Saints Productions is one of the young and fresh video productions companies in the metro,…read moreawing clients with quality and professionally-made videos since 2010. It's not all videos they do though, they also specialize in events and its coverage (whether that be a wedding, debuts, a concert, a company night--you name it, they'd deliver). They're a full-on service, covering your production needs from casting, to shooting proper, to post-production processes. And the most amazing part? They are ran by young individuals, some even younger than me. Admirable! They were actually the company who did my audition video last year, which was one hell of an experience, by the way.

This flower shop is a regular supplier of my current agency, Eon…read more I like the ease of choosing a bouquet fitting for the occasion I need from their website. They have prepared arrangements made for different occasions, and you can choose the arrangement you like from the accompanying photos. I also like that they allow billing so that it's not a problem when you need to order right away and you still need to issue the necessary paperwork for the cost estimates. For someone like me who doesn't know much about flowers, I like that I don't need to ask myself what kind of flowers I should choose. Frankly, I don't know the proper occasion to choose roses or tulips or orchids but because they have already outlined occasions and listed down recommended bouquets for these, and even created three options for each, I find that I am likely to go back to them when I have another requirement to send flowers. Next time you need flowers and you're a flower-idiot like me, look up Flower Towne online and give them a try!

Bigfish is the pioneer group who started the EDM craze and rave parties around the Metro. They have…read moreconducted a lot of great events, raves, and parties throughout the years. They are very known for it. Bigfish is a very big name in the industry and reputation is just getting better and better. Towards the middle of the year, they organize one of the biggest events or raves. It's the first of the upcoming events they'll be organizing till the end of the year. This is called Innovation White. Every year, this is one of the expected big parties by Bigfish Manila. The cool thing is that they encourage everyone who's attending to wear white and true enough, most of the people really do. When you go to the venue (which is usually in World Trade Center), the place is filled with black lights so everyone wearing white glows! It's really cool seeing it and being there. The energy of the people is just really amazing and the music is really great! If you're a fan of the genres, I would assure you that you'd have a blast! The venue is decorated really well too. Every time I go, I just always have the best time with my friends!

There are just times when we want to relive the big moments that happened in our life. Debuts,…read moreweddings, birthday parties--these events are only a few of the most significant milestones in our life. And sometimes, the only way to keep these important and joyful memories alive is through photography. Rohan Sugapong is a young and talented photographer from Ateneo de Manila University. He has covered one of the biggest and most popular college parties in the Metro--Shindig: Illuso. He was also invited by Unilever and the Bridges PR Agency to take pictures of the Red Carpet and Main Event of Cream Silk Portraits. Despite being a young and new photographer, Rohan has proven that you don't have to be old to be good at what you do. Please visit his Instagram account and Facebook page to have a good look at his amazing work. He's the perfect guy to cover any big event you could ever think of. Facebook Page: fb.com/PhotographyByRohanSugapong

It's pretty tricky to find a hotel/hostel/pension house that offers good value for your money. If…read moreyou go too cheap, you often get what you pay for, but you also don't want to pay an arm and a leg for a room either. Finding a hotel that strokes the fine line between these two divides is challenging. That's why I was so happy when I tried out Pension Natividad in Malate last weekend. While I heard good things about it, I was only able to appreciate it when I first stepped in. The place has an old-world energy to it, it was clean and pleasant, and they had the most wonderful covered canopy where I would see guests hang out all day. Considering that Malate is as noisy as they get, Pension Natividad was wonderfully quiet and serene. I can imagine myself hanging out there all day, finishing a book or writing one. Pension Natividad has a quaint cafe that serves a decent breakfast and some sandwiches. There used to be a pizzeria in here, but it has been closed down. That's a shame, as this would be a lovely place to have a pizza in. I do hope they bring it back. The rooms are spartan and simple, and devoid of amenities. Then again, this is a Pension House, not a Hotel, and as such I was not looking for these amenities anyway. I stayed in their most expensive room, (Single room aircon), which cost P1,500. There are fan rooms and dorm types, for those who want to save a bit more money. The front desk people were as pleasant as possible, and they did have a nice selection of supplies and food you could buy from them directly, at non-inflated prices. Their location is also ideal if you want to jump into the thick of things at Malate, or if you want to go to Manila's attractions. The baywalk is a short walk away, Intramuros and Luneta are pretty close by, and between all that, there are places waiting to be discovered in the streets and side streets. I finally found my Malate home, and it is Pension Natividad.

My family and I stumbled upon Pension Natividad after the Pork Barrel rally in Luneta Park. We were…read morestarving, since we'd been stumbling around Manila looking for wherever we had parked the car & by some fortunate chance of fate, we came across this lovely establishment. I'm not sure how the rooms are since we didn't stay there for the night (the place did seem very clean, and it gave off an old-world kind of atmosphere), but the restaurant at the ground floor was spectacular. It had a very homey vibe, red checkered tablecloth over small wooden tables and sunlight streaming through the large windows. The food was amazing, absolutely amazing, and at a decent price too! They serve a sort of noveau pizza, on a thin crust with a fistful of ricotta splattered onto the middle. It was heavenly. And only around P250. The coffee was great too - P30 for a huge, piping hot mug. They also have sandwiches and rice meals on the menu (although I don't know why you'd want to eat those when you can have their amazing pizza), and there's a fridge full of drinks and jars of pastries you can get from. I'm also a huge sucker for nice staff members, and the staff was so chirpy and polite, it was wonderful. When you visit I suggest you sit outside on the wrought-iron tables, the breeze from Manila bay passes through the vines hanging from the trees and everything is quiet save for the occasional car passing through the street. A beautiful place to have a quiet lunch with friends or family.